China's Defense/Military Breaking News Thread

[Blitzo]

Regardless, within the scope of the PLA, I think the aforementioned conflicts would be considered significant combat, if not in scale of mobilisation but also testing of real capability and impetus for modernization, especially the sino-vietnam war.

I'd also classify the third Taiwan strait crisis as a near conflict scenario that stretched the PLAs capabilities and showed them what they could and couldn't do.

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The article also compares number of vessels delivered rather than tonnage, and the latter is a far more practical measure of capability.

 

[Equation]

Sino indian war lasted one month and had total number of killed of some 2000, combined for chinese and indian casulties.

Sino vietnamese war also lasted one month and had higher number of casulties, but the exact figures are highly disputed. Combined military deaths may've been 15 to 50 thousand, plus civilian deaths.

Comparing to other wars in history, i am sure different people will label these two wars as less or more significant, as there is just no commonly accepted measure of a war's significance.

You're right, as for example, would the Israelis called the 6 Days War in 1967 a week in conflict? The bottom line is a war is war regardless of the time.

 

[perfume]

An Excellent Documentary by the BBC providing insight (and the BBC's POV) into China's evolving military training programe.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

I'm not sure if people outside the UK can watch this yet as it was only broadcasted today. I presume it will be available on Youtube in the near future.

 

[TerraN_EmpirE]

The Sino-Indian War in 1962 and the Sino-Vietnamese War in 1979 do not somehow count as "significant combat"??? I think somebody just failed Chinese History.

Despite that also keep in mind the Times. Only the oldest of officers (likely Senior) would remember the lessons of the Sino-Vietnamese Conflict. the Third Taiwan Straight is the most update but really it's now going on twenty years old

 

[Lezt]

Despite that also keep in mind the Times. Only the oldest of officers (likely Senior) would remember the lessons of the Sino-Vietnamese Conflict. the Third Taiwan Straight is the most update but really it's now going on twenty years old

As important real experience is, I think that it is over emphasized. Experience in Algeria during the interwar years did not help France during WW2 compared to the mostly "green" German army. Good training and good doctrine is more important as it allow men to adapt more quickly to the style of war when it is actually fought.

 

[TerraN_EmpirE]

Training is not a substitute for experience. Training can only try and prepare but as China has changed it's combat model it's now a unknown Quantity.
[video=youtube_share;7uZ-Aqs42nQ]http://youtu.be/7uZ-Aqs42nQ[/video]

 

[Equation]

Depending on what you're training at and for and depending on what you've experienced are both important and can not be prepared for in real life scenario. Each enemy and terrain is unique. Bottom line, there is no full proof program out there to make one's army to come out automatically victorious no matter who they are fighting.

 

[texx1]

Without a question actual combat experience is useful for any arm forces, but we have to examine them in context of opponents faced.

Only U.S. and Russia have significant recent (after 1980) combat experience in counter insurgency operations. Afghanistan for both, Iraqi insurgency for U.S., both Chechen Wars for Russia. Against an obviously outmatched opponent, only UK, U.S. and Russia have combat experience. Falklands War for UK, Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom for U.S. 2008 South Ossetia War for Russia.

No arms forces in the world currently has any combat experience against a near peer or a great power unless we go all the way back to WWII so everyone has to rely on training to prepare for the big one. Any future potential conflicts involving PRC would most likely be against a great power or a superpower so lacking in combat experience on either side maybe a blessing in disguise for everyone in case some hotheaded politicians decide to overestimate its own arm force's capability and start something horrible.

 

[Lezt]

I mean, which major power had practiced total war in the recent years, or decades?

Bombing the crap out of Libya or fighting insurgents in Chechnya or steam rolling Iraq is not really equivalent to fighting another major power.

If the question is can China beat the crap out of her minor power neighbors, I think the answer is yes. If the question is can China fight a successful war against another major power like Japan; the answer of experience is that China is in the same boat as Russia, USA, France, Germany... they don't have experience fighting a total war in the past many decades.

 

[Brumby]

If the question is can China beat the crap out of her minor power neighbors, I think the answer is yes.

I don't think Vietnam will agree with your statement. In the last Sino-Vietnamese war, China did have an opportunity to demonstrate its abilities and only those with a naturalistic bias would share your views.

In any case, your comments are somewhat inflammatory.